Shadows over Equestria
by ShadowMagma
Summary: Twilight Sparkle witnessed a mysterious mist moving through the city, followed by a pair of red eyes and a black time. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are hunted by dreams who are non. Flash Sentry was set in an unknown mind state and always says "The circle is closing itself. The end is near." Coincidence? The shocking answer comes with hevy consequences...
1. Chapter 1: A mysterious encounter

Chapter 1: A mysterious encounter

It was night. Another beautiful night, created by princess Luna. The sky was clear, the stars glimmered beautiful and the moon shone from the sky onto Princess Twilight Sparkle's tree castle. Princess Twilight Sparkle sat at the window in her tree castle on her bed. She couldn't sleep. And it wasn't Spike who laid next to her in his basket and talked about something, while dreaming about Rarity and rubies, his two favorite things. Twilight thought. She thought about what happened last night:

"Where is this mysterious light above the Everfree Forest, propably above the Castle of the Two Sisters, I've see last night when I looked out of the window. And the more important question: What is it? This light was no light of a star. It was much brighter and closer to the ground then any star up in the sky. And it lasted only for some minutes. And what were thoose five things, propably as big as the source of the light itself, which fell down from the light to the ground, or the trees, during the time the light was there? When I flew to the castle in an instant, the light had vanished. Which kind of light does this? And in the castle itself everything was just fine. I was disappionted about not finding the source or what seemingly fell down from the light. Maybe I shouldn't have done that. Maybe I should have checked the surrounding area. As I now know this phenomenon has never accured befor in Equestria. I looked through my books the whole day in hope to find a report about this light or a description of a light like this but even with the help of Spike and Fluttershy I didn't find anything. Fluttershy even flew off to the animals of the Everfree Forest to ask them about the light. But appearantly no animal had been near the castle the night in question. Typical. But maybe it's coming back tonight, so I can see it again, can fly to the place to see the source of the light and write my sightings down in case somepony else would see it someday later and wonder, too. So that this pony would just have to open a book for the answer to find out."

She looked up to the stars in hope to see this light again. But it didn't appear. In her disappointment she was about to turn away but then she noticed something. A shadowy mist moved quietly through Ponyville. It enclosed the houses, plated the lanterns and covered up the plans. It moved slowly. Next to her castle. Near enough that she thought to see something in the mist. She pinched her eyes together and looked even closer. And then! She saw something! Something moved with the mist! To get to see even more of whatever was moving, she opend her window even furthere. Slowly, slowly, just don't make any… Her eyes wided themself and she started to freeze. Her window squeaked! Usually there is noise in the inside or the outside which drowned it. But not this time. This night was silent. Up until now at least. Nerviously Twilight saw how the mist stopped at once. A part of the mist which looked like the head of a pony, moved out of it like the head of a turtle moving out of the turtles shell. And then it moved around! Slowly it moved around to her direction. Her heard beat became quicker. Her eyes wided themself even more. Her mouth stood open. A goose bumps crawled down her back. She stared. She stared into a pair of scary, dark-red glowing eyes. And the eyes stared back. She stood in front of the window as if she was stroken by a lightning. She wanted to do something, to move, to call out for the pair of eyes, something! But she couldn't. She could only keep starring. Starring into the eyes. Into the eyes who slowly closed themself, until they were only slots. And suddenly a light started to glow above the eyes! But it was no ordinary light. It was a black light. A dark light. Darker then the night and the mist. Darker then the mist which surrounded King Sombra. Darker then the darkest night Princess Luna or even Nightmare Moon could have ever created. Darker then anything she ever saw. Just pure darkness. And it expanded. It darkend everything it devourded beyond recognition. Everything disappeared around Twilight. The houses, the windows, the sky, the moon, the stars, her hooves and finaly the red eyes. Everything was covered with absolute darkness.

In an instant her composure came back. She still felt her hoves holding her windows. Quickly she closed them. But she felt as if the pair of eyes would still stare on her. Behind her. She turned around fast. But there wasn't anything. Just Spikes ordinary snoring. But then! She heard something! A dark voice! A scary dark voice speaking two sentences:

"The circle is closing itself. The end is near."

"What was that? Where did it came from? What should I...", she asked herself.

Then she shook her head. And her facial expression grew darker.

"Enough! My fear hasn't took me over befor and it won't start now. I know enough enlightment-spells to end this spook."

She closed her eyes and concentrated. She could feel the magic energy flowing through her body into her horn. And its transformation into heat, into light. She opend her eyes.

"What in the name of Celestia?! The darkness just…vanished! How is that possible?"

She looked around, looked out of the window. Everything was just fine. Well, nearly everything. Spike pinched his closed eyes together and grummbled something unintelligible. It looked like the light bothered him. Twilight stopped her unnecessary light.

"Sorry Spike."

And then she felt something else: Sleepiness. She was tired!

"That is no real suprise. I can't say this night wasn't as exciting as exhausting."

She yawned and laid down in her bed.

"What did I just saw. That's a real mystery. Maybe I will find the answer in a book tomorrow… But I shouldn't just use my lilbrary but the one in Canterlot, too."

And she finally began to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2: Dream of a memorie (Part 1)

Chapter 2: Dream of a memorie (Part 1)

Princess Celestia was sleeping in her bed. Suddendly she heard a loud noise, as if something had exploded. She lifted her head. Now she heard even more: Ponys running around! She could hear their hooves on the corridors of the castle. And shouts. They shouted loudly. Very loudly. As if they wanted to wake up the whole castle.

"Celestia? Is something wrong?", a voice asked next to her.

A very familier voice. Suprised she turned around. Next to her, her sister Princess Luna lay. With half-way closed eyes she looked at her. But something was diffrent. She was smaller than usual. To be specific she looked like a filly. Celestia looked down her own body for a moment. She was a small filly again, too.

"But how is that possible?", she asked herself.

"Is something wrong?"

"I-I don't know."

Her voice sounded young again, too. But that wasn't the only thing not right: The room, the bed, the window, everything reminded her of her childhood when she lived in a castle on the other side of the Everfree Forest. And something else wasn't right, too. The light. No doubt, it was midnight. But everything was bright, just as i fit was day. To be specific, the light gave everything a tone of red. A blood-like red. She opend her eyes fast. Something had flew nearby her window. She listend tensly. Something else joined the running and shouting. A ringing. The ringing of bells. Somepony rang some big bells. She remembered: In the castle Luna and her lived together with other alicorns, like their parents, and Starswirl the bearded, her teacher and care taker, there was a huge tower with big bells which were ring if their was an emergency. But which emergency? Fire? Earthquake? Or – She stopped. Over the whole noise somepony had shouted a word. A single word. Her and Lunas eyes wided themself. Their hearts run faster. Goose bumps crawled over their backes when they heard it. The word. The word which had ment death for many ponys before. The word which makes everypony freeze, even alicorns.

An AliKnight, an alicorn with an armor over its whole boddy, stood at the top of the tower with the bells . He looked has he just has fighted. A wing was in an unnatural position. All over his body, there were wounds. One leg was broken. His armor was nearly destroyed. He took a deep bref and shouted the word again. It resounded through the night. Everypony awakend through it. When hearing the word, many froze because of fear. The AliKnight viewed over the edge of the tower. Something dark crawled to the top. To him. He heard that something came from the roof. He whispered:

"Harmony for eternity."

A last time he took a deep breath. His horn glowed. He used the spell to inpower his voice. He wided his eyes, began to look seriously und and shouted as loud as if he wanted to reach all of Equestria:

"CHANGELINGS!"

Then they attacked him. Dozen of them. He could fire one magical blast befor there were forced crys of pain and in the end just silent coming from the tower. The same time an uncountable number of Changelings in full battle armor attacked the castle.

Celestia and Luna had heard from the Changelings befor. It's said they are creatures out of pure black magic. They were shapeshifters who appeared in a Hive with Queen Chrysalis on the top. Like alicorns, they have wings and horns but despite Chrysalis no Changeling managed to use its magic for more then shapeshifting and some magical blasts. They eat love from ponys to become more powerful. Houndreds of kingdomes have fallen because of them and their number grow fast. But up to now they hadn't attacked more then three alicorns at a time. They were seen near the castle multiple times but retreated when the AliKnight attacked. So why are they attacking a castle with thousands of alicorns? She was interupted in her thinking when Luna shouted

"DUCK!"

jumped towards her and both of them fall out of the bed next to the door. No second to late. A Changeling bursted through the window into their bed which didn't survive it. The Changeling straightened up to his full height. It looked at the two with a scary grin. Celestia and Luna moved backwords to the door. The Changeling closed in more and more. Then he jumped towards them, but the two sisters managed to get out of the way. The Changeling hit the door, which let to the fall of the door out of its hinges into the floor. The two used this opportunity to run into the floor to the room next tot hem, the room of their parents. The door stood open. Whithout even checking whether someone was in the room they ran into it and screamed:

"Mother! Father! Changelings!"

But the room was empty. According to their missing armors they are already in the fight. Celestia and Luna stood in the middle of the room rigid because of their fear, when they heard moving behind them. The Changeling stoot in the door. The two sisters turned around. Now he looked very angry. Celestia and Luna sumed up all of their courage and fired a concentrated blast of magic. But the Changeling just put his head aside and the blast hit the wall in the floor where it left a small crack.

"It's no use. We aren't powerful enough.",

Luna realized fearful. They hugged themself, closed their eyes and cowered themself together when the Changeling jumped towards them with opend mouth. But befor he reached them a white magical blast hit him and throw him out of a window. Celestia opend her right eye. Starswirl the bearded stood in the floor. He weard his hat, cape as well as a saddlebag.

"Are you two okay?"

"Y-yes. Thanks, Master Starswirl."

"Good. Come with me. I will bring you to a safe place. When there is one Changeling, onehundred aren't far away."

He put them on his back. This way they run down the floors and stairs to the basement with Starswirls laboratory in it. On the way many Changelings broke through doors, windows the higher floors or even walls trying to stop them. But Starswirl managed to stop each of them. Reaching the basement Starswirl ran across the room to a wall and pushed a stone which opend a secret tunnel. While they ran through the Changeling-free tunnel, Celestia asked:

"Master Starswirl, why are the Changelings us now? I thought they don't attack more then three alicorns a time!"

"Normally, yes. But today is no ordanary night."

They reached the end. Starswirl pushed another stone. After coming out Starswirl pointed to the moon. The two sisters looked up. Celestia couldn't believe what she saw: The moon was red like blood.

"That's the so-called Bloodmoon, an unexplanable and rare natural phenomenon which appears in unequal distances. For some reasons during its time dark magic becomes more powerful. Since Changelings aren't just users but creatures out of black magic it makes them powerful enough to attack a whole castle of alicorns. Luckyly with the disappearing of the Bloodmoon its effect and the Changelings will vanish, too."

Starswirl ran into the wood. Some Changelings who found them followed them. Dozens of them. And they came closer.

"Reach into the saddlebags!"

Celestia and Luna reached into them and each of them took out a bottle. On it they could read the words

"Hoovemade smoke"

They threw them to the ground. Clouds of smoke formed themself. The Changelings were very confused at first. They hit each other and the trees. That gave the three ponys more time. Starswirl stopped befor the entrance of a cave.

"In their! Quick! And don't make any kind of noise!"

"And what about you?"

"I will distract them. Wait in their until I come back."

Celestia and Luna nodded. They entered the cave and hid behind a rock. Starswirl took some clay out of his bag and formed some copys of the sisters using his magic. At last he used a spell to color the clay in the colors of the sisters. The copys propably wouldn't withstand a closer look but while running the Changelings would take their time to realize that they had been tricked. Hopefully. Starswirl continued running. Some time later the Changelings followed him. Suddendly one Changeling landed befor the entrance of the cave. He pinched his eyes together and closed in to the rock Celestia and Luna were hiding behind. Celestia's and Luna's heart beates became more frequently.

"This is the end.", Luna whispered while the Changeling came closer with his sharp teeth.


	3. Chapter 3: Dream of a memorie (Part 2)

Chapter 3: Dream of a memorie (Part 2)

"This is the end.", Luna whispered while the Changeling came closer with his sharp teeth.

"Something wrong?", suddendly another Changeling asked.

"I thought, I had seen something in this cave."

"Propably just a bat. Follow me. The old unicorn and the alicorn children ran into the woods even further. You don't want to miss the meal, don't you?"

The two Changelings flew after their copanions. Celestia and Luna heaved a sigh of relief.

"And what now?", Luna whispered.

Celestia thought for some time about that. Finaly, after some minutes she whispered back:

"We will go deeper into the cave. We can't get out. But we can go into the cave even further."

"And what's with Master Starswirl?"

"I'm sure he will find us. Follow me."

At first Luna hesitated but then she followed Celestia. They walked through a long tunnel until they saw a wall befor them. On the wall, there were two white wings and a golden horn.

"This seems to be the end. Maybe we should…", Luna wanted to say.

But Celestia took a closer look at the wall.

"What are you looking for?"

"A secret tunnel like the one of Master Starswirl. This wall is too suspicious."

She were right: She pushed a stone which made the wall sink into the ground. It opend a dark tunnel.

"I really don't think we should…"

"The more distance there is between us and the entrance, the more distance there is between us and the Changelings."

Luna couldn't argue against that. Both of them entered the tunnel. After some time they reached a room. The ground was covered with stone plates. There were some stairs in front of them leading to a platform with something that appears to be an arch on it. Two pillars stood next to the stairs, one on the right side, one on the left side. White fire burned on them. On the walls, pictures of armored alicorns fighting against fire breathing, multible headed dragons were visible. Stalactites hang from the ceiling. But the most interesting thing: A crystal on the top of the arch. The two sisters climbed up the stairs to the arch.

"What's that?"

"I don't know. Although…The crystal appears to be a magical crystal. I've read of it. If somepony will use a magical blast on it, it will be activated."

And with this words Celestia shot a magical blast in the direction of the crystal.

"What are you doing?"

"I wanna know what it's activating. Don't tell me, you don't."

Luna thought about this for a moment, then she joined in. Finally the crystal began to shine. Celestia and Luna stopped. Everything began to shake. Stalactites felt down to the ground. The crystal shone brighter and brighter. It moved downwards, until it hang completely downwards. Under the crystal a smaller one rose from the ground. Both of them blasted out a magical blast to each other. When they met, they fused together to a ball of light sending out lightnings. More crystals came out of the arch, all of them with their tops in direction of the ball of light. They absobed the lightnings and made the shining more powerful. Suddendly the ball exploded into an everything covering light. But only for one moment. Then every crystal was gone, except the one on the top. A white portal opened itself. Celestia and Luna both looked suprised. Then Celestia took some steps towards it.

"Wait! I think that's a bad…"

But Celestia was already gone into the portal.

"…idea. And somepony like her will be a Guardien of Harmony? She takes too many risks.", Luna ask herself while she followed her sister.

They went through a hollow made out of white light. On the other side of the portal there was open sky. They walked through an arch on a platform with stairs leading up to it, too. But there were no fire on the pillars. In front of them, there was a green field covered with the light of a normal moon. And there was a walking trail in front of it leading surpass the altar.

"Okay, everything seems tob e fine. Can we now go? Please?"

"No.", Celestia said and jumped on the trail.

She turned right and walked down the walking trail.

"But…For harmonys sake.", Luna said to herself and followed Celestia.

After walking two kilometers they reached a slope. Some meters away of the point where the slope became a straight line again, there was a wood. Next to the trail in front of the wood there was a house with light in it. Celestia ran towards it. Luna opened her mouth to say something but closed it again and followed Celestia while shaking her head. The door was open. They entered the house. Inside there was a small room made out of wood. In front of the door they entered there was another door, in the middle of the left wall some stairs leading up and in the middle of the right wall another door. On the left side of the last mentioned door there was a little table. Lastly there was a chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

"Do you think somepony lives here?", Luna asked.

The question became answered when they heard that somepony came down the stairs. It was a grey alicorn, no child but an adult with a wild black mane and without tail or cutie mark. He said something to himself when he entered the room. Meanwhile Celestia and Luna found cover under the table. Suddendly the door opened. Annoyed the grey alicorn watched as two more ponys entered the room. Celestia and Luna could only see their hooves. Like the grey alicorn they didn't waer shoes.

"You? What do you want? Don't you have better things to do then to interrupt me with my work?"

"You mean with your law-breaking?", one of the two ponys said.

It sounded like a male. The other pony, who sounded like a female, said fast:

"I meant "with your special researches" of course."

"Law-breaking. Special research. Call it as you want. But yes. That's what I mean. So again: What do you want?"

"We want to give you an advise: Stop with your studies of the dark magic. For your own good. Someday you will make a mistake and then no pony can help you anymore. You know the punishment for your work.", the male pony said.

"You two are the only ponys who come here. Everypony else is afraid of the wood. Despite: This law is idotic. It stands in our way to collect new knowledge about magic. I've told you that thousands of times befor."

"No! It protects us from its dangerous effects! Did you forgot what happened to Shadowcorn?", the female pony asked.

"EVERYPONY knows what happened to Shadowcorn. ESPECIALLY me. Don't YOU tell ME something about Shadowcorn. But Shadowcorn wasn't careful enough. I am NOT like him. Are we finished NOW?"

The grey pony turned around. Four hoves moved towards him. The female voice said:

"Caudata, please! You're making a mistake! Prostatis and I are willingly to continue laying to Fortis but I'm afraid he doesn't like you. It's only a matter of time until he sends somepony. And then…"

She swallowed.

"Don't let it come to this. Please."

Caudata turned around. With a now friendly voice he said:

"I highly appreciate your concerns. But it's unneccesary. When I finally have a breakthrough in magic, everypony will see that I was right. And now, if you would be so kindly to excuse me. Have a nice evening."

"But…Okay. Have a nice evening, too. And please: Be careful."

While the two ponys left Caudata entered the door on the other side.

"This pony uses dark magic! It has to be evil! We should run as long as we can!"

"Good idea! Normally we should report this to an adult but would he or she believe us?"

Both left the house and ran to the portal very fast and undetacted. When they arrived they saw that the portal closed itself. They ran as fast as they could and managed to get through the portal right before it closed itself. They were back in the cave. Everything was the same. They went through the tunnel. The wall at the entrance was still down. But after they left the tunnel the wall went up again. When they arrived at the entrance the sun was already rising. Starswirl stood in front of the entrance.

"Master Starswirl!", Celestia called out happyly and ran towards him with Luna.

Starswirl said:

"I'm really glad that I have finally found you."

"What do you mean? You were the one who…"

Luna screamed.

"Celestia! That's a Changeling!"

"What?!"

Celestia looked at Luna at first, then at Starswirl. He smiled villainness. For a short moment green flames crawled across his body. And then they saw it! He really was a Changeling! And he wasn't alone. They turned around and saw that they were already surrounded by Changelings. And they came towards them. In their eyes the terrafied face exprations of the two sisters were reflected. Then they jumped towards Celestia and Luna with wide opened mouthes. Luna shouted:

"Celestia! Celestia! CELESTIA!"

Celestia opened her eyes. She lay in her normal bed in Canterlot with her normal height. Luna stood beside her.

"Celestia! You slept too long! The sun should have risen ten minutes ago! Is something wrong?"

"I…am not sure. I had a strange dream."

She got up and walked away. Luna looked after her and said more to herself:

"Whatever it was, it was no dream."

After Celestia finally had risen the sun she sat on her throne. Suddendly a guard ran into the throne room and shouted:

"Your highness! Your highness! An emergency message from the Crystal Empire!"

Celestia took the message, read it and ordered with a serious facial expression:

"Send out a message to Twilight and her friends! We are needed in the Crystal Empire! Now!"


	4. Chapter 4: The mysterious figure

Chapter 4: The mysterious figure

It was night over the Chrystal Empire. A silent night. Everypony slept. Well, nearly everypony. Some royal guards patroled in the floors. A guard just past a window. Suddendly she turned her head to the window. The guard had seen a shadow moving across the window. But the light of her horn didn't show anything.

"Now you're starting to halucinate. Maybe you should have taken the day-shift after all.", she said and continued her patrol.

Suddendly she heard a noise. She turned around. But the floors were empty. When she tourned around to her patrol direction again she saw a figure silently running into the floor right of her.

"THAT was no halucination. I should take a closer look.", the guard said to herself.

She charged a magical blast and followed the figure. When she went through the floor she clearly heard hoove steps. The closer she came to the next cross of floors the louder the hoove steps became. The guard slowed down and began walking next to the wall. Now she heard the hoove steps clearly. The figure closed in. The guard changed her face into a self-confident look, jumped in front of the figure and shouted:

"FREEZE!", just to be hoove-punched into her face.

When she realized who stood in front of her she said:

"Very good reflexes, Sir."

Then everything became black in front of her eyes. But only for a short moment. Then she opened her eyes and saw into the face of the captain of the royal guard, Flash Sentry.

"Everything all right, Guarding Filly? I didn't know that it was you.", he said.

"Everything all right, Sir. I just saw someone. That's why I went this way.", Guarding Filly said while Flash Sentry helped her up.

"Really? Hm. I can't remember anypony petrolling in this part of the castle at this time except us."

"You mean it could be an intruder?"

"It is possible. The patrols were tribiled since Sunset Shimmer but sadly it can happen that intruders who know what they are doing can still, well, intrude. Here's the deal: If there was really a pony crossing this cross of floors, this pony could only ran to the left or in a straight line. You check the floor right of me and I take the other one. It's better to be sure that it was just a halucination befor we ignore it. If you meet the figure raise the alarm and keep him or her in check."

"Yes, Sir!"

Their ways partened. Guarding Filly ran towards the "Round Tables", a room where the princesses discuss happened events which are dangerous for all of Equestria like Tireks escape some time ago while Flash Sentry ran in the direction of the Chrystal Library, the biggest library in Equestria after the Great Library in Hoovefield, the "Town of Knowledge".

"But what would an intruder want?", Flash thought.

"Intruders want physical things, not knowledge. And the table is unstealable. It's part of the castle. And he should have broken in another part of the castle to -"

When he saw the door to the library his thoughts vanished: It was open! But it shouldn't be open. Unless...Did the intruder went into the library after all? But why?

"Only one way to find out.", Flash thought while he entered the room silently.

In an instand he noticed a bright light. It came from the second floor. The room was divided into two floors: The first was the ground floor where Flash stood. The second had no entrance. You could only enter it by climbing up the stairs right and left of the door through which Flash entered the room.

The right and left second floor weren't connected. A handrail esured that users of the library didn't fall from its edge.

On each side of each floor the shelfs stood behind each other in a row. Six shelfs (one at a time) on each side on each floor stood at the beginning of each row.

A figure took books from the third shelf of the right side, looked at them for a moment and put them into a bag. Judging from the light he or she used a horn for the magic of moving the books.

"An intruder stealing knowledge. Now I've truely seen everything.", Flash thought.

He called out: „Stand down! You're arrested for burglary and stealing!"

The figure dropped the book he or she was holding at that moment and stood still as a poker. Flash got ready for a pursuit since thiefs don't have the backbone to fight. That made him even more suprised about the violet beam coming towards him.

Guarding Filly was just explaining the situation to three guards, two unicorns and an earth pony, when they heard the explosion. It came from the Chrystal Library. All four ran towards it immidatly. On their way they heard two more explosions. Also two more guards, a pegasite and an earth pony, joined them. When they entered the library they saw a figure on the second floor right side shooting white-light blue magical beams at the flying Flash Sentry. In front of them as well as two times in the ceiling there were holes.

"A fight? That means…"

Guarding Filly shot a red light beam to the ceiling of the floor they came from. The light beam, a special spell from the Chrystal Empire, was bundled up by the chrystals and got reflected in every direction. That's how the red alarm light reached every part of the palace. The intensitie of the light became less bright the more distant it was from its source. This way guards could follow the light to it's source where it was the most brightest. This uncommon but clever alarm system was only possible in the palace of the Chrystal Empire due to its special arrangement of special chrystals on the ceilling and high parts of the walls.

Meanwhile a pegasus guard flew towards the figure but was shot and fell down to the floor as an ice block.

"Ice? What kind of spell is that?", Flash Sentry thought while calling out to the rest:

"Flank him!"

Guarding Filly and the other unicorn guards climbed up the stairs to the second floor, left side and came into position in front of the figure while the two earth pony guards climbed up the right stairs. Also another earth pony guard and two more pegasite guards enterned the room. The two pegasite guards flew up to Flash Sentry and the one earth pony guard joined the other two ckimbing up the right stairs. A last time the figure shot a magical blast and froze the nearest earth pony guard. Then he or she looked around. Now there were eight guards against him alone.

"You're surrounded! Stand down!", Flash ordered.

But instead the horn of the figure became a very bright light which blend every guards because they all focused on the horn.

Flash Sentry was the first to get to see again. He saw how the figure ran down the corridor between the shelfs with the bags. In the opposite direction of the handrail.

"The window!", Flash thought.

The intruder ran towards a small window. Maybe he or she had a partner who waited there for him or her. Flash followed him fast without noticing the other guards or the reinforcmence. After a few minutes he saw the intruder. Flash became even faster. He manged to reach the intruder and crash into his back which caused both of them, as well as the bag, to fall down. Only a few meteres away from the window. The intruder got up and tried to reach it. But Flash stood on the figures cape-and pulled it off the body of the figure. The figure stopped running and turned around to Flash Sentry. Flash Sentrys eyes wided themself. His mouth stood open.

"No. No. That, that can't be! That's completly impossible!"

Flash took a step back. The intruder looked on him very angry. He or she jumped towards the stunned Flash Sentry with a crazy light on the top of his or her horn.

Guarding Filly got her eyesight back with the rest of the guards. She saw how Flash flew into a corridor between the shelfs. She ran down to the ground floor and wanted to follow him. But in the same moment Princess Cadeance and Shining Armor, as well as dozends of other guards suddendly entered the room.

"What happened in here?", the princess asked.

"Your majesty! An intruder! He's responsible for all this mess but ran away! The captain is chasing after him!", Guarding Filly reported after a short bow.

"Show us the way!", the princess ordered.

Together with every other guard they climbed up the right stairs. While doing so they heard a short but painful scream. Now with double speed they ran down the corridor and reached the intruder who just finished taking on his cape again. The bag still laid down on the ground. The title of a book was visible laying out of the bag. Guarding Filly took a quick look. She read:

"The bloodmoon and its mysteries. Written by Starswirl the bearded."

Then she saw Flash Sentry. He laid on his back next to the bag. His hooves twitched. His pupils were very small. Some foam came out of his moving mouth.

"What did you do to him?!", the princess asked.

The figure didn't answer. Instead his or her horn shone in a black light. And suddendly everything was dark. Guarding Filly couldn't see anything. She only heard what Flash Sentry said:

"The circle is closing itself. The end is near."

Some minuites later the darkness was gone. And with it the thieve and the bag full of books.

"He still has to be in the palace! The window isn't broken! Search and find him!", Shining Armor ordered.

"You! Send a message to Canterlot and tell them about what happened here this night. But only the short version! I have to meet with the other princesses!", Caedance ordered Guarding Filly who ran to the post office.

"I'm afraid this is only the stard of the horror.", the princess said to herself while carrying Flash Sentry to the palaces hospital station.


	5. Chapter 5: Summary

Chapter 5: Summary

When the train coming out of Canterlot arrived at the train station of the Chrystal Empire Princess Cadance waited already with 8 royal gueards.

"Sometimes I ask myself how we always know where the train carriage our guest are in will arrive.", a guard whispered towards another guard.

"Don't think about it. Better like this than having to walk towards the train carriage.", the second guard whispred back.

And, as always, the princess and her guards stood right in front of where the train carriage with the princesses, Mane Six and Spike arrived.

"Thanks for your quick coming. The situation is very serious.", Cadance welcomed them.

Sometime later they arrived at the castle. And still a bit later they entered the medic station. Flash Sentry sit on the bed and still spoke the two sentences.

"He sits here and always says this two sentences since last night. He didn't sleep, eat drink or stop talking. We also have no idea what the intruder did to him. No doctor knew a medizin or healing spell. It could be that they aren't powerful enough, too. So I tried. And he did a short rest before continuing. That means the spell is working but no one around here is powerful enough. Lieutanant Guarding Filly had the idea that maybe every alicorn princess in Equestria is able to brak this mysterious spell."

"It's worth a try.", Celestia said.

The three other alicorns put their horns at Cadance' horn who activated the spell, a white ball of light. They send it towards Flash Sentry's head. When they came into contect the white light shone for a very short period of time. Flash Sentry stoped talking, closed his eyes, fell on his back and fell into sleep. Although the whole thing only took some minutes but the princesses were a bit tired after it.

"Now since that is done I have a tiny little question: What is with this intruder you talked about?", Twilight asked.

"Come with me to the conference room. There we will talk about everything.", Cadance answered.

In the conference room an unicorn guard already waited with some papers. When the guests entered the room she bowed down quickly. Answering Twilight's asking look Cadance said:

"May I introduce to you: Lieutanant Guarding Filly, head of the royal guard until Captain Flash Sentry is healed. She was the one noticing the intruder. And now she will present to us the results of our analysing team."

"Yes, your highness. At first we thought about how the intruder came in here without any guard noticing him or her. Except me that is. That means the person has to be a pro at stealing and has to be able to use a spell to come into a place unnoticed. Such spells are usually used by agents. That means he or she could be an apostate agent or an agent who works for an. That also could be the explanation for his ability to intrude unnoticed and why he or she didn't run away or stand down when the Captain noticed him or her.

Next is the species: The intruder used a horn. That means he or she can only be an unicorn, an alicorn or a changeling. Alicorns were included the moment the idea came up since there are only four alicorns in Equestria and non of you is known to be evil. Since the intruder used spells he or she is propably an unicorn. It is possible that he or she belongs to a new kind of changelings which can use spells, too. But that is less likely.

And at last the spells: The intruder used magical blasts as well as three unknown spells. Since the blasts caused explosions they have to be very powerful. Looking at the unknown spells: We know absolutly nothing about the spell the intruder used on Flash Sentry. It could be a completly new spell since we haven't found any spell like it. The second spell could freeze ponys. We learned that it counts as a magic called 'Elemantary Magic'. This magic hasn't been used in Equestria for thousands of years and its knowledge is considered lost. The last spell is completly new as well. It makes everything completly dark for a short time which-"

"COMPLETLY DARK?! A spell which makes everything so dark that no pony can see anything?!", Twilight asked excited.

Everypony looked at her confused.

"Y-yes your majesty. It was completly dark like no pony ever saw. Do you know something about it?"

"Sadly not much. Yesterday night I have seen a quiet, dark mist moving through Ponyville. In there I have seen a figure moving with the mist. When it noticed me a head with a pair of red eyes rose up from the mist and send out some kind of 'black light'. It made everything dark for a short time. When it disappeared the mist and the figure disappeared, too."

"The intruder disappeared after the black light, too! That means our theory is right: The intruder had a partner! They propably came into the castle through this mist unnoticed!", Guarding Filly determined excited.

"A dark mist?!", Apple Jack suddendly asked.

"Did you see it, too?"

"No. But Apple Bloom did. It has been some month. She told me she would have seen it at the edge of our farm. Also, she told me it stole apples. The apples were gone but I thought somepony else stole them."

"Did something was stolen in this case?", Fluttershy asked.

"Some books. I know neither their topics nor their titles. Except one I have seen randomly. The title was: 'The bloodmoon and its secret'."

"The bloodmoon?!", Celestia called out.

Since it is rare seeing Celestia loosing her composure everypony looked at her even more confused than when Twilight lost her.

"Is something wrong?", Luna asked.

"Don't you remember? When we were children?"

"What did you experience in your childhood?", Twilight asked.

"In our childhood we lived in a castle with other alicorns. One night changelings attacked. Many alicorns died that night. And the rest…Well Discord was bad. Terror was far worst. Also in this night Luna and I were attacked, too. But Starswirl saved us every time. He explained to us that the changelings attacked us because of the bloodmoon which apperently increases dark magic. Fortunatly no one can tell when it will rise up exactly."

"Yeah, about that, well: I have asked our astrologers about the bloodmoon and they said it will rise again in a few days..", Guarding Filly said a bit hesitantly.

"And you haven't mentioned it up to know WHY exactly?!"

"How should I know that this ONE heavenly body actually has a special effect on us?! Neither the sun nor the moon have one!"

"Point taken. In conclusion: We have to deal with two thieves of an unknown species with mysterios magical abilities stealing books. We should inform every library in Equestria to keep an extra eye open. I doubt they will be satisfied with what they stole from us. Especially since they got interrupted. Command to every security team in our kingdoms: If they see one of them they shall inprison them immediatly. Agreed?", Cadance asked.

"Agreed!", everypony said before leaving the room.


	6. Chapter 6: The enemies point of view

Chapter 6: The enemies point of view

Flo walked silently through the corridors. Like always he kept both of his eyes open for guards. He just broke into Canterlot Castle unnoticed. When he heard other hoovesteps he pressed himself against the wall. Five Guards passed the corridor he was in. Without noticing him.

"Five? Five Guards? I thought it would only be 2 at a time! Damm it Tobi! Why did you use the Mind Crash! Now they see us as a threat!", he thought.

He walked into the direction the guards came from. He pressed himself against the wall when five more guards passed him.

"I will speak some words with you when I'm back. He told you dozends of times: You are not allowed to use the Mind Crash!", he continued thinking.

This time he continued walking in the direction he walked before until he took another corridor to his right. At its end there was a big room with some stairs going downwards and a door in front of the stairs. Above the door there was a sign reading:

'Great Library of Canterlot '

Three guards guarded it.

"Damm it. You really screwed up. They know even phase 2 of our plan! I could have defeated two before any of them could have activated the alarm. But three? I ain't fast enough for that.", Flo thought.

His horn was surrounded by a black light.

"Maybe I should…No. That would cause unwanted attention. Looks like I have to use a little course. I hope no pony notices me."

Now his horn shone in a yellow light. He painted different symbols into the air using his horn, every symbol three times. The symbols shrunk and began floating around his horn until there were three circels of different symbols surrounding it. He pointed at the guards with his horn. The circels flew towards the guards' heads unnoticed. When they touched their heads, the guards opened their eyes and mouthes to the maximal extent. But no sound came out of them. Flo jumped into the room and used his ice-magic to freeze the three guards.

"Don't worry. Your eyesight and voices will return in a few hours.", he thought while he passed the guards entering the library.

In the library he looked through different books and put some into a bag: One about ancient cultures, one about unexplained buildings in Equestria and one about protection spells. While looking through the books he wondered howmany diffrent topics there were. From abnormal beings to zyclop goates everything was covered. After one hour he was finished and looked for the exit.

"Good job. Nearly finished. Now we only need the last one of Starswirls 'Bloodmoon'-books, the one about abondand castles in Equestria and the one dealing with spells sourounding nature. If he wouldn't have been caught there would be only one left. Oh well two librarys are left. Although if Tobi wouldn't have got cought I wouldn't have seen a complete castle from the inside. I wonder how many ponys it takes to make it look as freh as it looks like at the moment?"

Flo was so much lost in his thoughts that he didn't noticed what was going on in front of the door. He didn't realaze it until some pony called out for him:

"Hey, you there! Stand down! You're under arrest!"

Twilight and her friends came into Canterlot on their own. They could came in their unnoticed. Twilight had a strange feeling. And even if it was just a feeling, this way they could check out how good Canterlot's protection is. Twilight was already exited writting a report. In her own castle Spike did the guarding. Up until now no guard noticed them. They didn't see many guards at all.

"Maybe they do a lunch break in the evening?", Pinkie Pie suggested.

"Or the intruder did something with them.", Apple Jack guessed.

"I hope we will meet him or her. I want to give him or her a left hoove, a right hoove and then lock him down myself.", Rainbow Dash said.

"Maybe someone should get the princesses.", Fluttershy said.

"Wait!", Twilight suddendly called out and stopped.

"Did you see someone, Darling?", Rarity asked.

"That's the point! I didn't! Normally there should be a light to be seen! On the left side there is the entrance to the library. In front of it there should be 2 unicorn and one earthpony or pegasite guard. They have direct order from both princesses to stay on their posts until THEY are under attack. And their only reason to leave is to alarm every pony. But look around! Everything is dark. Be ready girls. I'm afraid my bad feeling wasn't just a feeling."

Quietly they walked around the corner. Twilight with a light spell at the front. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were the next one, ready to attack the prpably-intruder. After them there was Rarity with a light spell, too. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were the last. They were highly suprised by what they saw. The guards stood on their posts. But frozen. The door leading to the library stood open. The six friends took a closer look at the frozen guards.

"No doubt. An ice-spell. That means elementary magic. And that means…"

She turned her head towards the entrance. A big pony with cape and light spell walked towards the entrance.

"Well, this guy is propably crazy.", she thought.

She called out for him loudly: "Hey, you there! Stand down! You're under arrest!"

The figure stopped, turned around and flet.

"Not the braves tone, is he?", Rainbow Dash mocked and began chasing him together with Applejack.

"Yes…Strange…You will follow the intruder! I will alarm Canterlot security!", Twilight commanted.

Fluttershy wanted to ask whether she could be the one alarming Canterlot security but Twilight was gone already. So she, Rarity and Pinkie Pie began chasing after the intruder, too.

When six ponys stood in front of him Flo immeadiatly noticed that he was too sure of himself. Even if they didn't wear amor they propably had a very good reason to not run away. So Flo did it for them. He turned around and run into the book dshungle.

"Damm it. You critized Tobi for doing it and now you do it yourself.", he critized himself in his head while running through the shelfs without destination.

He heard his pursuer already. Thanks to his long legs he was able to run fast but when he turned around his head he noticed a fast pegasis.

"Looks like I have to make a way for me myself.", Flo thought while running towards a wall he knew had only one side facing towards the inside of the castle.

Suddendly a pink earthpony appeared in front of him and said:

"Hi. My name is Pinkie Pie. What's your name?"

With big eyes he looked at her – and crashed into the wall. When he managed to get up and turn around he noticed that he was surrounded.

"You are surrounded. Stand down. Now.", an earthpony with cowboy head demanded.

"Huh. You wish.", Flo thought.

His horn glew. A prepared a magical blast and fired. But in the same moment he turned his head towards the wall. The blast destroyed the wall behind him. Shortly afterwards he jumped through the smoke into open air.

"Is he crazy?! This is the 4th floor!", one of his pursuers called out.

But Flo wasn't crazy. He rolled around himself in the air until he landed on the ground on his hooves unharmed. He looked up. His pursuers stood their with wide open mouthes. They were speechless. That was funny for him, but he didn't laugh. It took him years of training to master this little trick. He hoped for this moment to come for a long time. But his happyness was ended when he noticed that he was surrounded by light spells. At least 50 unicorn guards surrounded him.

"Really? Are you kidding me?", Flo thought.

His pursuers managed to get down, too. They and the unicorn guards closed in. Flo raised his horn. Big rockes came out of the ground and surrounded him. They gave him protection and time to think. Suddendly magical blasts destroyed the rocks. Flo looked up, ready to blast the ponys who did this out of the air – and froze! Three alicorns flew towards him!

" .NOW!", a big white alicorn demanded.

Flo turned his head nervously, nearly afraid, to judge the room between himself and his enemys. The he pinched his eyes together and used the emergency spell: The Black Light Spell. He heard how one of the alicorns called out:

"GET HIM! HE IS DOING IT AGAIN!"

But he already managed to create the Orb of total Darkness, a giant round space looking like an orb from the distance which was made out of the black light and could darken everything into absolute darkness for a period of time. It even manged to absorb sound for a short time. No light spell was of any use against it. You felt if you would be blind. Only those able to use this spell could see in this absolute darkness. Flo never cared for the how. For hi mit was funny to see other ponys running around and trying to find him while crashing into each other and calling out they would have found him. Thanks to this darkness Flo was able to escape unnoticed. If he continued holding the spell up the time until the Orb disappears wouldn't be running until he left the Orb. But it wasn't easy to hold it up for an amount of time. The Orb uses a lot of magic powers and every normal pony would be exhausted in minutes. So he flet fast. The enemys wouldn't believe their eyes when the darkness disappears all at once and he would be suddendly gone, too.

He didn't stop running until he entered the ruins of the castle standing in the middle of a forest called 'The Everfree Forest'. The sun was rising already. He entered the throne room and turned his head around. A silent dark mist came out of an espacially dark hallway, followed by a pair of red glowing eyes and a dark voice.

"You are late, Flo. That's unusual for you. I was worried, you perfectionized Tobis mistake. What happened?", the voice with the eyes forming the head of a pony asked calmly.

Flo walked towards it. He stopped right in front of the mist, looked fearless into the eyes and stepped on the floor multiple times with his back hooves as if he would wanted to do a tap dancing. The red eyes wided themself.

"3 ALICORNS?! IMPOSSIBLE! I thought I had…", the voice started to say but then saw Flo looking nerviously. Instead of ending what he wanted to say he said to Flo:

"Don't worry: It doesn't matter how many alicorns there are, no pony at all will stand in our way. The circle is closing itself. The end is near. And with the end we will have our revenge on the kingdom for what they did to us. But until this day comes we will return into the shadows."

Flo and the eyes vanished in the mist and the mist vanished into the dark of the hallway. When the morning sun light met the castle neither the mist nor Flo or the eyes and voice were to be found.


	7. Chapter 7: Collision

Chapter 7: Collision

"And? How was it?", Spike asked when the Mane Six arrived in Twilights Castle.

"Huh. Not good.", Twilight sighed.

"We basicly had him. Well almost. But this coward just had to run away. I can't believe he really fought against the royal guards of the Chrystal Empire!", Rainbow Dash said angered.

"I don't think it was the same intruder from the Chrystal Empire.", Twilight said.

Everypony looked at her. Twilight turned her head around towards her friends completly.

"What do ya mean? He did know the darkness spell and the ice-spell, didn't he?", Applejack said.

"Exactly. That's why I think our enemy is some kind of gang, a cult or even a secret society. All three-"

"Wait a second: Three? Why do you think there are three, Darling?"

"Well at first it may seems a bit unclear. All three of them could use the darkness spell and at least two of them the ice-spell. But all of them have their diffrences, too: After the summon Cadance told me that her intruder, intruder 1, was as big as a normal pony. Our intruder, intruder 2, was nearly as big as Princess Celestia. I didn't see any hight of the 'shadow creature' in the night of the KE-insidence. But the 'shadow creature' had red glowing eyes. No one of the intruders had some. Also everyone of them acted diffrently: The 'shadow creature' moved with a mist and used its darkness immediatly after it was discovered. Intruder 1 fought before using the darkness. And intruder 2 escaped but didn't use the darkness until we alicorns arrived. That's evidence for more than two enemies. But I still can't quite figure out their plan."

"Do you have any idea?", Fluttershy asked.

"Yes. I have a feeling. And since it was correct last time I will listen to what it says."

"So what's your plan?", Spike asked.

"We will do a slumber party.", Twilight answered with a self-confident facial expressions while the others looked at her confused.

It was night. A silent night. Only an owl sat on a tree branch. In the moonlight you could see a figure walking towards the tree castle. Under its hooves their was a dark mist absorbing every noise. The figure looked around. No pony was their. Then the horn of the figure glew. A hole opened itself in the wall and closed itself again after the figure entered the figure looked around again. And again no pony was to be seen. The intruder began walking down the floors looking for someone or something. While doing so he or she looked around as if he or she felt being watched. Finally she looked into a room and entered it. In the room their were big book shelfs. The intruder smiled. He went to the book shelf next to him or her and started reading the titels of the books. After two hours he found a book and put it into his bag. But when he started to continue his or her search he or she heard a voice behind him or her:

"I'm sorry but I'm afraid your book license expired. Please put it back. And afterwards please stand down and follow us quietly."

The figure stand their stiff as a poker. Slowly he turned around. In front of him there were three ponys, an alicorn with a glowing horn, a unicorn and a soft looking pegasus. The figure looked around. Then his horn glew dark. Suddendly a beam hit the top of his horn and created a pink magical ball around it. The ball stopped the darkness from extending.

"No darkness this time!", the alicorn called out and jumped towards the intruder in order to get him.

But the intruder jumped out of her way escaping into the corridor. Magical energy charges came out of the top of his horn.

"He tries to destroy the magical ball! Get him! Quick!", the alicorn shouted out to the other ponys.

The three followed him. The figure ran around a corner. The three after him. Suddendly there was a light. The figure managed to destroy the ball. His horn glew dark again. Suddendly a pink pony appeard next to him and said:

"Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie if you didn't know it already. And I have a super important question for you: What are you doing?"

Starteled from Pinkie Pie the intruder jumped into the next room.

"Perfect. Now we have him. Everything goes according to plan.", the alicorn said with a smile.

The intruder realized the same thing. He ran through the huge room, away from the door towards another door. Suddendly he heard something. It sounded like quick flying. A pony with a cowboy head landed before him with his back hooves towards him and angeled.

In the Chrystal Empire Guarding Filly did a round. When she passed the medic station she noticed something: Flash Sentry had awaken. Happily Guarding Filly entered the room.

"Sir! Are you okay again?"

"A bit shaky on the hooves but that's not important! I have to speak to the princess and prince immediatly! I have important information about the identity of our enemy!"

"No going further here.", the pony with the cowboyhut said and kicked the intruder against his chin.

The intruder was thrown back but did a role in the air to land on his hooves. He rose his horn again. But this time he didn't mange to activate his spell. A blue pegasus landed in front of him and punched him in the face. He reeled backwards. When the world around him began stabalizing again he noticed that he was surrounded. But this time he didn't even try to use his black light but used a magical blast instead.

"You asked for us?", Cadance asked.

"Yes, your majesty! We have to stop every fighting and pursuit of the intruder immediatly!", Flash Sentry called out in panic.

The intruder got tackeled by the blue pegasus.

"Why?", Cadance asked confused.

The intruder got up again. Suddendly he noticed how the earth pony with the cowboy head had a piece of his cape between her teeth.

"That's because of the intruder himself!", Flash continued telling to the royal coupple.

"Well, it's time to see who or what is under this.", the alicorn said.

The cowboy pony pulled away the cape.

"And the intruder is a…", the alicorn started.

"The intruder is…", Flash Sentry began.

The eyes of everypony wided themself when they saw what was behind the cape. Everypony shouted out confused and suprised:

"…AN ALICORN!"

"IMPOSSIBLE!", both the ponys present in Ponyville and the Chrystal Empire shouted out.

The intruder used the confusion to blast a hole into the wall behind him and to jump outside afterwards. But to his misfortune he found himself surrounded by the Canterlot Royal Guard and the two princesses. They were suprised to see a yellow male alicorn without mane or Cutie Mark, too. Some of them looked confused to the princesses who hesitated for a short time. Then Princess Celestia called out for the intruder:

"Whoever you are: You are under arrest! Stand down or we are forced to force you to stand down!"

The Mane Six arrived in front of the castle. Afraid the alicorn turned around with wide opened eyes. Every speer was pointed towards him. They began closing in. But then, suddendly something even more unbelievable happened: A tunnel made out of light opened itself out of thin air above the alicorn. It glew nearly as bright as a star.

"The mysterious light!", Twilight thought.

Something dark felt out of the tunnel on the yellow alicorn. Dark mist softed out of the middle when the thing hit the ground. The ponys present looked at a mountain made out of a dark mist. Suddendly something consisting out of mist seperated itself from the mountain and formed a big head of a unicorn. After it stopped forming a pair of red eyes began glowing and a dark voice said:

"Ponys, listen to me! I am Shadowcorn! I will warn you only this one time: Don't you dare continue standing in our way! Or we will have to clear said way!"

"Big words for a pony hiding behind a mist!", Rainbow Dash called out.

An ice-beam came out of the mist and froze her.

"I don't care who you are! You are under arrest, too! Surrender! Now!", Prinzessin Luna shouted.

Every unicorn guard and all the princesses shot with magical blasts at the mist but they went through it and exit it on the other side.

"As you wish. Feel my power.", Shadowcorn said.

His horn glew dark blue. A big ball came out of the top of his horn. It floded in the air above Shadowcorn. For a moment nothing happend. Then suddendly hundreds of magical blasts came out of the ball bombarding the ponys present. With every blast the ball became smaller until it vanished completly after a minute. The entire royal guard, the princesses and the Mane Six laid on the ground defeated. They weren't hit by the blasts themself but they were powerful enough to create explosions throwing them around like a playball. Only Celestia managed to raise her head.

"That was just a small piece of my power. I hope you learned your lesson. The bloodmoon will rise in three days. Don't you dare trying to interfere into our justified revenge.", Shadowcorn threatened them.

The mountain made out of mist jumped into the tunnel which closed itself afterwards.


	8. Chapter 8: Eye in Eye with the enemy

Chapter 8: Eye in Eye with the enemy

Some time after Shadowcorn disappeared the ponys regain their concisnous. Depressed they went back to Canterlot to the big medic station. The doctors were suprised to see a beaten army standing in front of them. They pointed everyone towards a bed and began the medical treatment. The princesses at first since they had responsibiltitys which couldn't wait. After their medical treatment the Mane Six met up inside Twilights Castle. After some time of silence Spike asked:

"So? What's next?"

Everyone looked at him.

"Next? We sit here and wait until the end of the bloodmoon when he reached his goal. And we will hope he won't do something against us.", Rainbow Dash said.

"What? But…You can't do that! We have to stop him!", Spike called out.

"Huh. That's easier said than done. You weren't attacked by him. And he didn't hit us directly. Stop him? It took him just ONE minuite to take down all of us plus both princesses and the entire royal guard. Try to stop THAT. No. We can't stop or defeat him.", Applejack said.

"Stop with this nonsense already!", Spike called out angry and jumped onto the table with the Cutie Map.

The Mane Six startled from that.

"Do you even listen to what you're saying?! So you lost, big deal. The same happened when you fought against Discord, Chrysalis, Trixi, Tirek and Starlight Glimmer! And did you give up after loosing to them?! No you didn't! You continued until you found a way to defeat your enemy. Because you knew: If you loose Equestria would been doomed! It's the same in this case: Shadowcorn used a magic you knew nothing about. But the next time that won't happen. Now you know what he can do. So get yourselfs together and plan your next step. Or Equestria is doomed."

The Mane Six looked at each other. Their facial expression changed.

"He's right! We didn't give up in the past, we won't start giving up now. Shadowcorn will soon learn the power of our friendship!", Twilight called out and everypony agreed with her.

Spike heaved a sigh of relief and return to his little throne next to Twilight.

"So? What's next?", Spike asked.

"Next? Thinking.", Twilight answered and took a notepat and a quill.

They wrote down everything they knew about Shadowcorn and his henchmen as well as possible goals of them for some hours. Then Twilight put aside notepat and quill.

"After all this I have an idea of a subgoal: Our enemy wants to have books. Instead of himself a henchman goes out to collect them since he would cause unwanted attention. So we have to set a trap to cath a henchman. Then we bring him to Canterlot to question him.", Twilight suggested.

"But how do we know where they will strike next?", Fluttershy asked.

"Don't worry about that. I've noticed that they don't return to a place they robbed before. And now only one library is left: The Great Library of the 'Town of Knowledge' Hoovefield, the biggest library in Equestria!"

After some time of travaling with the train they arrived at a small town. Every house was a one-family house. In the middle of the town their was a big library build into a tree. It was bigger than the skyscrapers in Manehatten and wider than Twilights Tree Castle. In the library the shelfs stood behind each other in a row on every floor. The Mane Six just wanted to split up when they saw a white pony wearing the same cape as Shadowcorns henchmen. It took a book out of a shelf and began reading. Silently the Mane Six creeped up on him. Then Rainbow Dash fastly pulled away his cape. To their suprise there was another alicorn beneath it. This alicorn was much smaller. It was just slightly taller than a kid. Like the last alicorn he had neither mane nor cutie mark. But this one was white with a thin golden aura surrounding it. Also his tail was very short with uniform horizontal stripes (Top to bottom: green, yellow, red, sky blue). And he had a soft look.

"Awwwww! How cute!", Pinkie Pie shouted out loud.

The other ponys in the library, who completly ignored the present of two alicorns, immediatly cautioned her to be silent. The small alicorn turned around completly. It looked afraid.

"If you follow us quietly we won't harm you.", Applejack said in the tone of voice of a loving big sister.

The alicorn thought about this for a short amount of time before nodding. Surrounded by the Mane Six and Spike they left the library. But what they didn't know: Flo watched them! With panic in his eyes his horn bagan glowing. The tunnel made out of light opened itself next to him. He jumped through it and it closed itself immediatly afterwards.

On their way back Spike informed Canterlot which informed the Chrystal Empire. That's why there were not only Celestia, Luna and five Canterlot Royal Guards but also Cadance, Shining Armor, Guarding Filly, Flash Sentry and 5 Royal Guards from the Chrystal Empire were present in the throne room of Canterlot when the Mane Six and their prisinor arrived. The alicorn looked around afraid. Everypony looked at him sternly. In front of them Princess Celestia sit on the throne with Luna at her right and Cadance at her left. In front of those three there was Shining Armor with a chain of Royal Guards. The Mane Six and the alicorn stopped shortly before them. Twilight, who went at the top of the circle around the prisinor, took a step aside reveling the alicorn to the princesses and royal guards. Suprisingly it bow down before the princesses. Celestia began talking:

"Don't be afraid. We don't want to hurt you. We just want to know a few things. If you answer them nothing bad will happen. At first I want to know your name."

Instead of answering the alicorn tap on the floor two times with his right front hoove. Everypony looked confused. Except Pinkie Pie. She nogged understandingly.

"Do you know what that is?", Applejack asked her.

"Of course. That is the language of the mute!"

"The what?", Twilight asked.

"I've heard from it. It is extremly rare. Mute ponys can't talk for unknown reasons. They are born this way. Until know there is no known cure. That's why this language was developed. But only a few non-mute are able to use it and no non-Equestrian know it since it's very complicated and only functions with hooves. That means he's from Equestria!", Luna said.

"I wouldn't be sure about that. He speaks with an accent I never heard before", Pinkie told them.

"And what did he say?", Twilight asked.

"He said his name is Duncan."

"Duncan? A strange name. Defenetly not equestrian…Okay Duncan, where do you come from?", Celestia asked.

Duncan tapped on the floor and Pinkie translated:

"He said he comes from the 'Void'."

"And what is the 'Void'?", Cadance asked confused.

"He said the Void would be the nothingness which can't be found."

Before Rainbow Dash could asked about the meaning of this, Rarity asked:

"Why do you have no mane?!"

"He said, the darkness took it."

"Oh, I see now. Our little friend here like to be cryptic. Then answer me this: What will happen when the bloodmoon rises and you and your pals reach your goal?", Rainbow Dash asked.

Duncan tapped but this time Pinkie hesitated.

"Is something wrong?", Celestia asked.

Pinkie swallowed. Then she said:

"He said: When the bloodmoon rises we will use the Ritual of Doubble Doom to end the kingdom."

Everypony stood their like they were stroke by a lightning. Finally Celestia said:

"A magical ritual? And the end of the kingdom? We have to prevent that from happening! Tell me Duncan, who are 'we'?!"

Duncan looked around. Then he nogged towards the window and the door. The ponys looked outside. It was night already. But that wasn't suprising. Celestia and Luna already ended the day and began the night when the Mane Six and Duncan arrived. Since they propably wouldn't be able to do this while questioning Duncan. And to prevent interruptions. Then they looked towards the door. Something came through the door gap. A dark mist. Everypony except Duncan froze. And then it happened: The door was thrown against the walls. A wave of dark mist crashed through the room towards them. It stopped shortly before the Mane Six. Duncan smiled and jumped into the wall of mist. And then they heard it again. The voice. And they saw how Shadowcorn's head formed itself. He said:

"I warned you! But you continued staying in my way. Now I have to clear it!"

Five beams came out of the mist. They froze every royal guard, Shining Armor, Guarding Filly und Flash Sentry.

"And now the head of the snake!"

Shadowcorn's horn glew. A powerful ball of magical energy formed itself and expanded. But Twilight and her friends weren't unprepared.

"Now!", Twilight called out.

She and the rest of the Mane Six transformed into their rainbow forms.

"Impressive. But useless!", Shadowcorn shouted and shot a gigant magical beam towards the princesses and the Mane Six.

Giant enough to defeat them all. But the Mane Six counter attacked with a rainbow blast.

"IMPOSSIBLE!", Shadowcorn called out when he saw how his blast was stopped by the rainbow blast.

But that's not all: The rainbow beam rescinded Shadoecorn's beam and transformed into a wave hitting and rescinding Shadowcorn's mist! The whole mist just vanished. And now they saw what was hidden before: Five alicorns! On the left side there was a male, sky blue alicorn with a normal hight, big eyes and a tail like Pinkie's. No mane, no Cutie Mark. Next to him there was another male but red alicorn, nearly as tall as Celestia with a thick long tale. His eyes were of normal hight, no mane, no Cutie Mark. On the right side there was a male yellow alicorn which was nearly as tall as the red one. He had a thin long tale, eyes of normal hight, no mane and no Cutie Mark. Next to him there was Duncan. But the one in the middle was the scariest: Shadowcorn had a normal hight, no mane, no Cutie Mark and no tail. He was blue. A very dark blue. The darkest existing blue. Nearly black. His eyes glew red. They were more narrow than the ones of normal ponys but they were no packets. The five looked around very suprised.

"Im-impossible! That-that means…", Shadowcorn said a bit frightened and took a step back.

Then he looked at the rest and shouted out:

"Tobi! Flo! Duncan! Roy! We're out of here!"

His horn glew black. Although it was hardly visible. And just a second later everything was dark. No. Not everything. The spot were the Mane Six stood wasn't dark at all. At first they looked at each other confused. Then they smiled and concentrated. The rainbow light expanded making the darkness vanish and freeing the frozen ponys. And then they saw how the five managed to intrude and escape unnoticed: They had opened the tunnel made out of light, a portal! Duncan and the yellow alicorn, Roy, were already gone. The blue alicorn, Tobi, was going through right now. Shadowcorn and the red alicorn, Flo, were still their. They were confused that the darkness just vanished before they were gone.

"Get them!", Celestia called out.

The Mane Six used another rainbow. Flo pushed Tobi through the portal and jumped after him while Shadowcorn a magical barrier used to hold off the rainbow. Then he jumped into the portal himself which closed itself immediatly afterwards.

The portal led to another dimension, the Void, a dimension with absolutly nothing in it. Except of what was brought into it like the stolen books. When he landed Shadowcorn's facial expressions grew very angry. He shouted something out and shot a magical blast into the void of the Void which caused an explosion somehow.

"THAT CAN'T BE HAPPENING! THOUSANDS OF YEARS OF PLANNING AND PREPARING! FOR NOTHING! TURNED INTO DUST IN JUST ONE MINUTE! THE CHANCE FOR IT WAS NEARLY ZERO! BUT OF COURSE IT HAD TO BE! SIX PONYS JUST HAD TO BE ABLE TO USE THE LEGENDARY RAINBOWMAGIC, THE ONE WEEKNESS OF MY SHADOWMAGIC!"

Suddendly a high pitched but male voice said:

"What's wrong, Shadowcorn? I haven't seen you so angry ever before."

Shadowcorn and his boys looked up although no one was their.

"This damm ponys! They have Rainbow magic, the only magic able to kill me with less of five shots. I can't defeat them. Not even with the magic-boost of the bloodmoon."

"Then you just need a more powerful magic-boost."

"How? The bloodmoon is already the day after tomorrow! I'd need more time to find something!"

Suddendly a book floated in front of Shadowcorn. It opened itself on a page. Shadowcorn began reading. And his angry face changed into a smile.

"Yes. That should work.", he said and looked up.

"Where?"

"The same place you just left. I've managed to get my hooves on a plan of the castle. Just in case."

Shadowcorn smiled and said:

"Nice job. Looks like the game isn't over yet. Those stupid ponys may have won the battle but they lost the war. It's really nice to know to have a friend like you, Discorn."


	9. Chapter 9: Canterlot under attack

Chapter 9: Canterlot under attack

It was night. Shadowcorn and his boys stood on a cliff and looked down on Canterlot.

"The first ritual.", Shadowcorn said.

Duncan nodded and draw some symbols into the air. When he finished they began spinning around his horn. Duncan pointed towards Shadowcorn, Flo, Roy and Tobi. The circle of symbols became smaller until it touched the top of Duncan's horn. A small light went out of it. Thin, transparent string of light extended from the light and touched the horn of everyone Duncan pointed at.

"The second.", Shadowcorn said.

Duncan drew symbols into the air again. But this time two equal symbols each until there were two equal circles of symbols. Each of them floated into one of his eyes but nothing happened.

"Good. The preparations are finished. Let us remember the plan now: Flo and Tobi, you two will attack Canterlot. And don't forget: It's JUST a diversion! No serious damage and some bad shots! But don't underestimate them! According to Discorn an alicorn is guarding the night and with the rainbow magic-user it's even more difficult. Regardless: no Mine Crash, Tobi! Hold back your little satistic part completly! This mission shall go with minor damage! And Flo: If you two get overwhelmed, forget your despretness of completing a mission and retreat with Tobi into the Void. Duncan, you will tell us what is going one with the Telepathie-Ritual and the X-Ray-Vision-Ritual. If someone discorvers you, retreat immediatly. I know you don't like fighting but I also know that you feel bad retreating without permission. And lastly: Roy and I will get the thing in the castles vault. But stay with me! I know how much you like it to discover terretory you haven't discovered yet but this is enemy terretory. After the bloodmoon the day after tomorrow you'll have an entire world to discover so hold yourself back today and tomorrow. After we got it everyone will be gone! Did everyone understood?", Shadowcorn asked.

The others nodded.

"Good. Then let's get started with Operation Power-Up!"

Flo and Tobi disappeared in a portal while Shadowcorn and Roy flew onto the roof of the castle silently.

Princess Luna looked through her binoculars which stood on a bar on the balcony of her room. This binoculars were no ordenary ones. They were magical. With them she could look over all of Equestria. Suddendly a bright light appeared on her left site some meters away from the balcony. As she looked into that direction she saw Flo and Tobi flying towards the castle. Somehow she was a bit confused. Not only because they flew easaly spottable but also because she wasn't used to the existence of male alicorns. The last one she saw thousands of years ago. Shortly before Terror…The explosion pulled her out of her thoughts. The two didn't want to intrude, they attacked! Flo fired with magical blasts while Tobi bombarded the castle with magical balls. Luna rebucked herself for not attacking them immediatly and loosing herself into her thoughts. Loudly she shouted:

"EVERYPONY ON FIGHTING POSTITIONS! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!"

Some guards were there already. Pegaside flew towards the two just to fall down hit by a blast or frozen into ice. Unicorns shot at them with magical blasts but the attackers dodged them and fired back. Since the earth ponys were useless against flying enemies they ran around getting other guards. Luna flew into battle herself. She fired with one blast at them which got answered by a rain of magical balls by the attackers.

"Your highness! We are under attack!", a guard called out.

It took some time until Cadance understood the meaning of the message. She opened her eyes fast and jumped on her hooves. The guard was gone already. Shining Armor got it by now, too. He came on his hooves quckly. Together they ran out of their room and through the corridors of Canterlot Castle. Yesterday they arrived to help with the preparations for the arrestment of Shadowcorn and his henchmen. And now an attack on Canterlot! The two didn't thought it would be a calm time but they didn't thought there would be a battle! Since both her and Shining Armor were still very tired they didn't really know where they were going. So it was no suprise when they collided with somepony while passing crossroad of corridors.

"Excuse me.", Cadance said while holding her head.

Duncan didn't have to tell him. Shadowcorn knew from the explosion that Flo and Tobi started their attack. His horn glew brown. A big hole appeared in the wall he and Roy flew in front of. They entered the castle through the hole unnoticed. No pony was on the corridor. Shadowcorn wasn't suprised at all. Flo and Tobi attacked the castle on the other side of it. This was as far away from the fight as possible. They began running through the corridors. The whole time they didn't met anyone. But while passing a crossroad of corridors Shadowcorn with somepony. A bright voice said:

"Excuse me."

"My bad.", Shadowcorn replied before noticing with who he collided.

He looked into the suprised eyes of Princess Cadance. The two jumped away from each other immediatly.

"What do you want here, Shadowcorn?!", she asked him while loading a magical beam.

"That's not your buissness, your highness!", Shadowcorn called out and dodged the first blast.

Shining Armor wanted to enter the battle, too but Roy hold him off. Meanwhile Cadance bombarded Shadowcorn with magical blasts. While dodging Shadowcorn thought:

"Damm it! I'm not used to fight in small space!"

He looked around himself. Suddendly he noticed some loose bricks in a wall.

"Perfect!", he thought.

His horn glew brown. The stones flew out of the wall in the direction of Cadance who manged to dodge. But threough the small space Shadowcorn knew already where she would jumped to. When she turned to him again she got frozen.

"CADANCE!", Shining Armor shouted.

Roy used this distraction to freeze him, too.

"Finally!", Shadowcorn said reliefed.

"The vault is beneath you!", Duncan told them.

"Good.", Shadowcorn said.

His horn glew brown again. Big holes appeared in the floors beneath them. He and Roy just had to fly down to the vault. The holes closed themself behind them. After they landed they saw what they came for in front of them.

"We have to retreat! We get overwhelmed! And those rainbow magic-users are here!", Flo reported.

"Do it. You, too, Duncan! We'll get it quickly and follow you into the Void!", Shadowcorn ordered.

He drew some symbols into the air. They spread across the room. Every kind of voice stopped. Then he took what they came for, opened a portal and walked through it, followed by Roy.


	10. Chapter 10: The bloodmoon (Part 1)

Chapter 10: The bloodmoon (Part 1)

It was in the evening. A portal opened itself. Shadowcorn and his boys came out of it. They went into a cave. In the cave it was very dark. Shadowcorn looked up. His horn glew red. A small flame floded towards the ceiling. At the ceiling there was some kind of cord, which became inflammed when the flame touched it. But it didn't burn out. It continued burning. Throughout the entire tunnel. Everything was now visible. But there wasn't anything notable. Shadowcorn and his boys walked down the tunnel until they reached a wall. But not any wall: It was the same wall Celestia and Luna dicovered during their childhood! The golden horn and the white wings in the centre of the wall were still visible.

"So it's true. They really tried to colonize this world. This symbol is the proof.", Shadowcorn said.

He fired a powerful beam out of his horn destroying the wall. While going through the debris he stated:

"Unfortunatly I hate this symbol."

The tunnel and the cave it let to were already brightened. Shadowcorn and his boys went to the stairs leading to the arch. Each of their horns began glowing. The cave began shaking. Its ceiling opened itself. The platform with the stairs floated upwards while turning around 180°. After it passed the ceiling, the ceiling closed itself again. The platform landed on it.

"That's correct, too. Only the elemantry magic of the Ancients is able to lift the Gate. Discorn did an exellent job. We're really lucky to have him on our side.", Shadowcorn said with a smile.

He took out a scrole.

"Let's get started."

"Not so fast, Shadowcorn!", a voice called out for him behind him.

Shadowcorn turned around. Out of the sky the four alicorn princesses as well as the two pegasite Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy closed in. On the ground Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Shining Armor and Guarding Filly arrived. Like the flyer without any guards.

"What in the name of the Ancients! How did you find us?!", Shadowcorn asked them.

"I have the ability of visions. Some days ago I had a dream of my childhood where I witnessed the bloodmoon. My sister and I also discovered this portal and heard your name that night. At first I didn't thought much about it but when we thought about your position I remembered again. And since we hadn't anything better we made a plan to attack you from above. But it looks like you already thought about something like that.", Celestia said.

"No. I didn't. But that's unimportant. You were worthy opponents. That's why I'll give you a last chance: Surrander and go away. Now."

"No. We won't do that. But since you gave us a chance we'll return the favor: Don't do it. You don't have to.", Twilight said.

"You have no idea how urgent I have to do this. Since neither we nor you will surrander, I think we have to fight now."

"You do know that you don't stand any chance against our rainbow-magic and our friendship?", Rainbow Dash asked.

The Mane Six transformed into their rainbow forms.

"Normaly I wouldn't. But the bloodmoon gives me a power-boost.", Shadowcorn said.

The Mane Six looked behind him. The bloodmoon rose.

"He doesn't have to be complete to grand someone the power-boost. But even now I wouldn't be powerful enough to take you on. But luckily I have THIS.", Shadowcorn said.

Flo gave him a box.

"Do you talk about…", Luna began saying.

Then they saw the thing in the box.

"No!"

"That can't be!"

"Not that!"

With a smile Shadowcorn said:

"Yes. Exactly that. The alicorn-amulett."

Shadowcorn took the alicorn-amulett out of the box and put it on.

"Yes! I feel it! The power! The amulett has returned to its master! Now I'm twenty times as powerful as usually!"

"You morron! The amulett is dangerous! It will corrupt everyone who waers it! That's why it was locked up in the vault in Canterlot!", Celestia shouted.

Shadowcorn started laughing. It sounded dark. While laughing he said:

"No, princess. This piece of jewellery isn't dangerous or corrupting at all. At least not for alicorns and especially not for me. It isn't called the ALICORN-amulett just because of the alicorn head and the wings. It was made by an alicorn, the first Shadowcorn, as one of the Seven Holy Relics of the Ancients. After Shadowcorns death it was thought to be lost, even more then the other relics. I have no idea how and why it was hear. This amulett has the ability to increase the power of its user ten times his or her usual capability. To protect it from our arch enemies it was created with a safeguard, the corruption of every non-alicorn using it."

"But if it increases the power ten times why did you tell us, yours would have been increased twenty times?", Rarity asked.

"Because Shadowcorn was its inventer. It increases the power of him and everyone with a very similar power twenty times. And that counts only for me. I am a direct decendant from the original Shadowcorn. Like he did, I experimented with the dark magic and discovered powers only he knew before me! One of the reasons why I called myself 'Shadowcorn'."

"Even with those two power-boosts you still have no chance against all of us!", Twilight called out.

The Mane Six, the other alicorn princesses, Shining Armor and Guarding Filly fired a giant combined magical blast at Shadowcorn.

"We will see!", Shadowcorn called out and fired an equally big blast at them on his own.

The two blasts colided. They stopped each other.

"It seems we have reached an impass.", Shadowcorn noticed.

"That's what YOU think.", Twilight said.

Shadowcorn saw how his blast began giving in.

"How ist hat possible?!", Shadowcorn asked.

"We have a magic more powerful then all of yours combined: The magic of friendship!", Twilight explained.

And Celestia added:

"You should have surrandered. There is so much power we can't garanty your survival."

To their suprise Shadowcorn started to laugh.

"Do you really think I would do all of that because I wanted to survive? Well then I have some news for you: My life was over the moment it started! I don't live for myself. I only live to protect THEM!", Shadowcorn called out and nodded towards the four alicorns behind him.

"Mine ended long ago but theirs hasn't really began yet! They are my boys, my family! The only one I have left! It is my duty to protect them! A duty I happily chose to have! I will protect them, even if it will cost me my life! And once I would have done it. We were hunted by soldiers with the order to kill us. With my power back then I couldn't hold them back. They wanted to capture me and to kill my boys. They fired a powerful magical blasts. I jumped between it and my boys. But it was too powerful. We all would be dead by now if their wouldn't have been the legendary magic which came to our aid. Only the first Shadowcorn ever unleashed it. You have the magic of friendship? Well I have an even more powerful magic: The magic of family!", rief Shadowcorn.

Something unbelievable happened: The balance of the blasts which was pushed nearly completly, was pushed towards the defenders of Equestria! There was a short, loud "bang" and all of them laid defeated on the ground! The world around Twilight became black.

When Twilight awoke she realized that she was trapped in stone. Only her head was free. But her horn was trapped in stone as well. The bloodmoon had risen nearly complete. She turned her head. Everypony else was in the same situation. They awoke, too.

"Awoken already? You can take more then I!", a voice said behind her.

She couldn't turn around but she didn't need to to know that the voice belonged to Shadowcorn. Shortly afterwards he went into her sight.

"Let us go, Shadowcorn!"

"Why should I? So you'll try to stop me again?! No, thanks. You stay were you are until my revenge against the kingdom is complete! Relax and enjoy the show. You won't see something like this ever again.", Shadowcorn said.

He sounded more kind and happier then usual.

"No! We can't allow you to hurt our kingdom!", Apple Jack shouted.

Shadowcorn stopped. He turned around and looked at them confused.

"YOUR kingdom? Who said anything about your kingdom?"

Now the equestrians looked at each other confused.

"W-well, you did.", Twilight said.

At first Shadowcorn and his boys looked at them puzzeled. Then they began to laugh loudly. Shadowcorns horn glew brown. The stone blocks Twilight and her friends were imprisoned in bursted into pieces freeing them. Now the ex-prisoners were confused completly.

"Why did you free us?", Twilight asked.

"Because our fiendship is based on a missunderstanding. And since I intend to solve this missunderstanding there is no need to be enemies anymore."

At first the ponies looked at each other confused. Then they sat down. Princess Celestia said:

"Then start solving the missunderstanding."

"I approve your lack of resistenze. At first you have to now that I'm not from Equestria."

"You mean you come from another country?!", Guarding Filly asked.

"Even more far away. What you see behind me is a dimension portal. I'm from another dimension. And I don't mean The Void. On the world where I was born there are only alicorns as ponys. A whole kingdom to be specific: The Alicorn Empire. Insects, our arch enemies, the multi-headed dragons and we alicorns are the only known living creatures there."

"Wait a sec: Alicorn EMPIRE?! Didn't you said it would be a kingdom?!", Shining Armor asked.

"It is. Alicorn Empire just sounded better then Alicorn Kingdom. In the Alicorn Empire I studied the unknown and forgotten magic and spells. I lived at the edge of a forest as a disowned pony due to my missing tail, an accident in my past as well as my arch enemy, the crown prince, an incompetent idiot like the rest of his puppets. Except the princess and the head commander of the Royal Guard. They are everything but incompetent and just a little bit idiots."

For a second Twilight thought to see a weak smile on Shadowcorns face. But she quickly forgot it and asked:

"And you and your boys ran away from your dimension because you were disowned?"

"No. Because they wanted to kill us.", Shadowcorn said.


	11. Chapter 11: The bloodmoon (Part 2)

Chapter 11: The bloodmoon (Part 2)

"No. Because they wanted to kill us.", Shadowcorn said.

The equestrians were shocked.

"What? Why?!", Cadance asked.

"Because of the way I look like. At the start of my studies I discovered an ancient recepie for a potion allowing you do studie and use dark magic without becoming evil. But in the last days of my studies I couldn't make anymore potions. I managed to master the dark magic but I began to became evil. So my boys and I used an ancient ritual which should have freed me from the evil completly. Unfortunatly the side effects weren't readable. The evil came out of me but it went into my coat transforming my outwards appearance into what it's now. Also the dark energy created during this ritual made our manes vanish. Unglücklicherweise war die Nebenwirkung unlesbar gewesen. I always was the crown prince a thorn in the eye. And now he could kill me legally. I can imagine how satisfying it was for him to command his troops to arrest me just to humiliate me, to kill my boys in front of my eyes and to kill me in the end. In my birth dimension you can only travel to other dimension during a bloodmoon through a portal like this. Luckily there was a bloodmoon in the night of our escape. We managed to get to the portal, to open it and to run through. This way we arrived in The Void, a, well, void dimension with its own rules. Only those who don't want to find it or who was there before can find it.."

The equestrians were stunned.

"And what do you want to do now? I mean you already said you want to take revenge but is it really your best option?", Luna asked.

"Yes. At least the way I want to take revenge. I won't hurt the kingdom directly. In The Void I met someone with similar intentions: The former prince of the Alicorn Empire. The father of the latest crownprince rebellt against the former king and queen and killed them in front of the eyes of the former prince. He did it because he thought they weren't worthy of ruling anymore. But before they were killed the former king and queen used a ritual to transform their son into the unnatural spirit of chaos and disharmony in order to protect him. Ironicly his name was already Discorn. After the transformation they let him open a portal. When the rebels entered the room they paralyzed him and kicked him into the portal. This way the rebels couldn't follow him and he couldn't come back. But he had to watch the death of his loved parents, too. In the end he arrived in The Void. At first he thought we would be enemies when we arrived in The Void centuries later. So he attacked us until we told him our story. And after some time we became friends. One day he showed us a ritual he found: The Ritual of the Interdimensional Destruction. Wit this ritual we can destroy something in another dimension through a portal. Our plan is to destroy their portal to isolate them. Also then we will can be sure that they can't follow us. But for this there has to be a bloodmoon on both sides. And this happenes today.", Shadowcorn explained.

The equestrian discussed something for a short time. Then Twilight asked:

"And no one gets hurt?"

"You have my word. I never wanted to harm anypony."

"If that's true then there is truely no reason for a fiendship. You have your good reasons. It's a sign of being good harded to not wish to harm anypony despite the great amount of injustice you experienced. Also we have an offer for you: After this night you can live in Equestria. Here no pony will judge you after your outwards appearance.", princess Celestia said.

"I thank you. All of you.", Shadowcorn said while he and his boys bow down.

Suddendly everypony heard drums.

"What's that?", Rarity asked.

A light formed itself. For a short period of time everything was brightened. Afterwards a grey alicorn without mane, eye brows or tail but with a blue horn, big eyes similar to Discord's eyes, a thinn long beard at its chinn and one single fang hanging out of its mouth. Its Cutie Mark were many arrows with diffrent colors pointing from one point in all directions. All in all it looked like an alicorn-version of Discord.

"May I introduce to you: My partner and friend, Discorn, the unnatural spirit of chaos and disharmony as well as the true ruler of the Alicorn Empire."

"How many spirits of chaos and disharmony are there?", Applejack asked Twilight quietly.

With a high voice Discorn said:

"Hello everyone. It looks like you realized the rightousness of our doing. That's nice."

Then he turned to Shadowcorn.

"The bloodmoon is up. Did you completed the preperations?"

Shadowcorn noddged. His horn began glowing. A big circle appeared on the ground in front of the portal. In the middle of the circle there was another, smaller one. At the circle, there were five other small circles. Around the circle in the middle there were many diffrent symbols.

"Let's get started.", Discorn said.

He put himself into the circle in the middle while Shadowcorn and his boys took position in the snall circles around the big one. Discorn fired a beam at the crystal on the top of the arch. The portal opened itself the same way it opened itself in Celestia's and Luna's childhood. Slowly the portal became more clear until you could see a big green mountain with houses and castles on it on the other side. Thanks to the bloodmoon everything had a bit red.

"Olympus. The capital of the Alicorn Empire.", Shadowcorn explained to the equestrians.

The circles began glowing. Magical Energy came out of the horns of Shadowcorn and his boys. It foated into Discorn's horn. Suddendly the five Cutie Mark-less alicorns fell to the ground.

"What the…Discorn! What happened? Why isn't our energy forming a magical ball?", Shadowcorn asked.

Discorn turned around. With an evil smile. His eyes glew. With a terrefying voice he said:

"Why? Because I tricked you! There is no Ritual of the Interdimensional Destruction! You just gave me 99% of your magic making me the most powerful being of all dimensions! Now I can destroy those rebels!"

At first the equestrians were angry at Shadowcorn but then they saw his shocked look on his face.

"NO! THAT'S NOT WHAT I WANTED!", he shouted.

"And that's the reason I betrayed you! You just wanted to isolate them! What kind of revenge ist hat?! After all they've done to us! But I'm not very suprised. Your father was right. You are worth less then nothing. You are nothing and you won't become anything until the day you die. So do us all a favor and make your father proud for once in your life. Fullfill his wish and die already. It's way past time."

Discorn took the alicorn-amulett and went theough the portal. The equestrians ran towards Shadowcorn and his boys who came up slowly.

"Shadowcorn!", Twilight called out.

"Don't worry. I'm alright. Well except that the one I called my best friend for thousands of years just betrayed me."

"And what he-?", Celestia started asking.

"My father never lied or kept something for himself. Nothing Discorn was new to me. My father said it thousand times in my face before. I don't care anymore. But thats unimportant right now! We have to stop Discorn!", Shadowcorn said.

"Maybe our rainbowmagic will help!", Rainbow Dash suggested.

"It wouldn't. His chaos magic is unnatural.", Celestia said and Shadowcorn agreed.

"Do you have any spell or ritual which could help us?", Luna asked Shadowcorn.

"I have one. But for this we'd need at least two opposing kinds of magic as well as the magic of friendship, family and love. Then we could strip Discorn from our magic and his chaosmagic. But where do we get the magic of love?", Shadowcorn asked.

Everyone looked at Cadance.

"Oh. Well. Then let's get started!"

Everyone positioned themself in front of the portal. Shadowcorn draw some symbols into the air which began floating around the ponies. The rainbow magic of the Mane Six, the light magic of princess Luna, princess Celestia, Princess Cadance, Shining Armor and Guarding Filly, the shadow magic of Shadowcorn's boys, the dark magic of Shadowcorn as well as the magic of friendship, family and love. Together they formed a big multi-colored glowing blast which they fired through the portal. On the other side there was the apocolypse happaning: Powerful tornados and earthquakes, big fires and explosions out of nothing! Many things were destroyed already. And over the screams of the citizens you could hear Discorn laughing. Suddendly he heard something. He turned around to see a big blast coming towards him.

"Really? Well that's Deus-Ex-Machina!", he complained before he was hit.

A bright light glew up in both dimensions. And with it Discorn and all the damage he has done were gone. And Shadowcorn and his boys had their powers back.

It was morning. The morning after the bloodmoon.

"Our offer still exists. My castle is big enough for you all.", Twilight said.

"Thanks. But for now we'll rest a bit. Afterwards we should just come for short visits until the ponies in your town got used to our appearance. And that there are non-royal alicorns, too.", Shadowcorn suggested.

"Good idea.", Celestia said. Then they left the place.

It was night. The portal opned itself. Two cloaked figures appeared.

"That's where he lives? It looks nicer then I imagined.", the one figure said.

"He is still full of suprises.", the other one said.

"Yes. But it won't help him. We will find him. And we will bring him back. For the Alicorn Empire."


End file.
